


It Never Does Run Smooth, Does It?

by mollywheezy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Harry Potter Next Generation, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-27 00:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollywheezy/pseuds/mollywheezy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucy participates in several of her cousins' weddings, excited for her own. But when her long-time relationship falls apart, will she ever find love again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Never Does Run Smooth, Does It?

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks and many hugs to my dear friend and beta for her encouragement, brainstorming prowess, and fabulous beta skills.

**~*~ Summer 2019 ~*~**

Lucy grasped her bouquet of flowers tightly in both hands. She really wanted to scratch her neck, but Aunt Fleur had warned her so many times, she clutched her bouquet instead. The color Victoire chose for the bridesmaids' dresses was very pretty and flattering on all of them—blue since Victoire was the only Ravenclaw in the family—but the style was horrible. Not even eleven-year-old Lily looked good in puffy sleeves, a huge bow in her hair, and an even huger bow on her bum. What designer thought putting huge bows on women's bums would ever be a good idea? Lucy thought her bum was quite big enough and did not need more attention called to it. She blushed thinking _Gareth_ might be staring at her bum. She wasn't sure she even wanted _him_ looking, since Lucy didn't feel her bum was her best feature. 

She tried to pay attention to what the ministry official was saying, but she could barely hear him. Victoire thought it would be so romantic to have the ministry official who performed Aunt Fleur's and Uncle Bill's wedding also perform the ceremony for her and Teddy. Lucy thought it was a nice idea, in a way, but the man was ancient, long retired, and had such a wispy voice, she doubted anyone could hear him. 

Her mind wandered again, and she wondered if Gareth would propose to her when they finished Hogwarts. They'd been going out since the end of fourth year, and Lucy dreamed of getting engaged when they finished school. They did have two more years, so she was rather putting the hippogriff before the carriage. Besides, she would get to dance with Gareth at the reception which was a first about which she was very excited. She was less excited about dancing with him in front of her entire family, especially since she was the only one of her cousins to have a date for the wedding and all of the attention of the gathered Weasleys would be on her. But maybe they could sneak off to some quiet corner of the Burrow's garden . . .

When the service ended, and the wedding party had recessed until the chairs could be magically rearranged, Molly pulled Lucy aside and whispered, "Want to lose the bows?" 

"Definitely!"

Molly removed the bow from Lucy's hair by hand, and Lucy did the same for Molly. Then Molly magically took the bows off the backs of both of their dresses. "I can't do anything about the sleeves."

"At least this is an improvement."

 

"Not like you have to worry. You're the only one in the family who brought a date today. Go find Gareth, and I'm going to check out Teddy's cute friends." With a quick hug and a smile, Molly hurried off.

 

**~*~ Christmas 2019 ~*~**

 

All of the family had gathered at the Burrow, except for Dominique who had yet to arrive from Paris. Grandma Molly insisted they couldn't eat until Dominique was there. 

"I'm starving," Molly whispered. "I wish Dominique would hurry up. Knowing her, she's probably flirting with someone from the portkey office." Molly smiled and rolled her eyes. Lucy chuckled. "I'll have to—" Before Molly finished speaking, the Floo flared up and spat out Dominique along with a very handsome man. 

"Happy Christmas, Everyone! May I present Jean-Luc, my husband. We eloped!" Dominique held up her left hand to show off a very large diamond. Everyone screamed and ran to hug her and shake Jean-Luc's hand. Aunt Fleur started crying and exclaiming in rapid French of which Lucy didn't catch a word. 

Molly and Lucy shrieked in delight and were cheering for Dominique and waving to her since they couldn't quite reach her through the crowd of their family. When they finally did get to their cousin, both of them hugged her tightly, and hugged Jean-Luc tightly, too, since he was family now, and Lucy whispered, "Thank you for not making us wear ridiculous bridesmaids' dresses!" 

 

**~*~ Summer 2020 ~*~**

 

Lucy sipped her champagne and whispered to Molly, "I've always wanted a winter wedding, but Louis really has the right idea of getting married on the beach in summer. This is so wonderful."

Molly nodded. "I've never understood your desire for a New Years' wedding anyway. It's too cold."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'd get married _outside_. I was thinking I'd have the wedding at Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell's church, and the reception . . . I don't know. Somewhere. Maybe Gareth's parents' house. I haven't seen it, but I hear it's huge, and they have an entire floor that's a ballroom. That could work." Lucy chuckled to herself. "He needs to propose first, though."

Molly hugged her sister. "If he's as smart and wonderful as you keep telling me, then he's not letting you get away."

~*~

"I think Louis will get the award for best wedding among our cousins." Lucy leaned against her sister as they both lazily swirled their toes in the cool, blue water. 

"I agree. It helps that his mother-in-law manages the Saint-Tropez Wizarding Resort and his father-in-law is the chef. Victoire said they get a certain number of free guest passes each year, and they've been saving them up for a couple of years, and borrowed from a couple of future years in order to get everyone here."

"It was extremely generous of them to give everyone a vacation." 

"And no bridesmaid dress fittings! What a great idea to let everyone wear what they wanted. Uncle George told me when Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill got married, Uncle Fred said when he got married, everyone could go casual—no dress robes allowed. I wonder if Uncle George told Louis and gave him the idea."

"He might have. But then again, Louie's family lives at the resort, so I think they're pretty casual anyway. And extremely nice. We only met Louie a few days ago, but it seems like he's been a part of our family forever. I like that both Louis and Louie had all of their siblings and cousins of both genders stand up with them. It really looked like two families were joining."

"And a picnic on the beach rather than a formal reception was brilliant."

"I'm not sure what Louie's dad made qualifies as picnic food. That had to be the best food I've ever tasted."

"Speaking of food, I'm getting hungry. Want to go find something to eat?"

Lucy nodded, and she and Molly helped each other up to walk back to the resort together.

 

**~*~ Christmas 2020 ~*~**

 

Lucy took the Floo to the Burrow with her parents, surprised Molly was not there yet, or maybe not. This Christmas was the first time all of the Weasley family would meet Molly's boyfriend, Mason. Lucy and her parents liked Mason, and she was certain the rest of the family would, too, but she was nervous for her sister. The prospect of having _her_ boyfriend spend time with her entire family was so daunting it made her glad Gareth and his parents always went skiing over the holidays. Gareth had, of course, met her family at Victoire's wedding, but since they had spent most of their time dancing together or _attempting_ to sneak off together, the Weasley Family Inquisition had not occurred.

Lucy had greeted everyone, and now lurked in the kitchen waiting for Molly and Mason. When the two of them came through the Floo, Lucy hugged her sister tightly before even letting her brush off the ash. She hesitated briefly, but then hugged Mason, too. She liked him, he probably needed a hug when faced with all of the Weasleys, and from what Molly said in her letters, Lucy was pretty sure Mason would be her brother someday. 

"Here's the plan, Mason," Molly began. "At dinner, make sure you sit between me and Lucy. We need to protect you from Uncle George."

"I thought you loved your Uncle George?!"

"We do," Lucy said. "But we're used to him. You're fresh meat."

Mason looked confused, so Molly picked up the train of thought. "We all know to expect Uncle George's pranks and know how to avoid them if we want to. He'll try to trick you, so we're just trying to help."

"OK," Mason answered, still sounding uncertain. 

Dinner went by without incident to Lucy's surprise. She and Molly kept looking at each other from opposite sides of Mason, wondering when Uncle George would try something, but nothing happened. 

Aunt Angelina announced, "I made my grandmum's famous Christmas Biscuits this year. Mum's been trying to teach me forever, but I finally managed to get it right." This announcement was met with appreciative cheers and congratulations from the gathered Weasleys. She brought out the plate, and said, "Everyone help yourself!" 

The plate was passed and everyone began taking a biscuit or two and trying them. Uncle Ron was the first to turn into a gigantic butterfly, followed quickly by Hugo, James, and Louis. Aunt Angelina shrieked, "George Fabian Weasley!" and moved to smack the back of Uncle George's head, but he Apparated across the room to avoid it, so Aunt Angelina just smacked air. 

Uncle George pulled a small bottle out of his pocket. "Butterfly Beads! One drop turns any regular biscuit or small appetizer into a Wheeze!"

Aunt Angelina shook her head, Grandma Molly rolled her eyes, but was trying too hard to hide her smile, and Mason said, "Brilliant!" and popped his entire biscuit into his mouth turning into a giant butterfly. Everyone else in the family followed. Lucy knew she and Molly needn't have worried about Mason at all.

 

**~*~ Summer 2021 ~*~**

 

Lucy and Gareth left the prefects in charge of herding the younger students onto the carriages, so they were the first to board the Express. He pulled Lucy into the first empty compartment, locked the door with his wand, and kissed her. Lucy kissed him back enthusiastically, but her sense of duty made her pull away after only a moment.

"I'd love to snog, Gareth, but we still have Head duties until we get off the train at King's Cross. We bought a few minutes by leaving the prefects . . ."

"I know, I know." Gareth sighed dramatically. "The work of the Head Boy and Head Girl is never done. How about we do our duties and meet back in here as soon as possible after the trip?"

"Doesn't the Express leave?"

"No it sits here all summer, and we can both Apparate home, so there really isn't any hurry, is there?" Gareth nuzzled Lucy's neck.

"No, I suppose there isn't," she replied rather breathlessly. 

As they reluctantly left their compartment, Gareth made a complicated wand movement at the door and said something Lucy didn't understand. 

"What was that?"

"I was speaking Welsh. It's an ancient locking and concealment spell only members of my family can perform. I think it's Blood Magic, so if I weren't part of my family's bloodline, I couldn't perform the spell no matter how good of a wizard I am."

~*~

After all of the students had left the train, Gareth and Lucy completed their inspection to make certain all was in order and returned to their compartment. Gareth performed another Welsh spell to let them in. 

"I brought lunch for us." Gareth pulled a large hamper out of the luggage rack.

"That sounds lovely, but isn't the conductor going to lock up the train?"

"When I owled him to ask where the train lived during the summer holiday, I also asked permission for us to have lunch here." Gareth winked at Lucy.

"Brilliant!" Lucy smiled warmly at Gareth, who proceeded to wave his wand causing a small dining table and two chairs, a white linen tablecloth, white linen napkins with intricately designed brass napkin rings, two brass candlesticks with white tapers which lit themselves as they settled on the table, exquisite gold and white patterned china, brass silverware which landed into proper place settings, and crystal goblets with a gold tint Lucy had never seen before. 

"Wow!" Lucy wasn't sure how else to respond to such an opulent display.

Gareth pulled out a chair for Lucy and said, "Shall we?"

Lucy smiled and took a seat. 

Gareth tapped the table with his wand and oysters on the half shell with some sort of sauce appeared on their plates. Lucy knew what they were, but she had never eaten one before. She picked up her fork.

"You won't need a fork," Gareth said. "Like this." He picked up one of the shells and slurped the entire oyster into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

Lucy watched, not really sure her Gryffindor courage applied to eating something raw, but she didn't want to hurt Gareth's feelings so she copied his motions. The taste was fine, since she mostly only tasted the sauce, but the slimy texture made Lucy think of flobberworms, and she wanted to spit the thing out. Since Gareth was watching her expectantly, she swallowed with a huge effort and imagined she could feel the oyster sliming all the way down to her stomach. 

"You don't like them, do you?" Gareth asked with a smile.

"Er . . ." Lucy floundered. "The sauce is very good, but I'm not sure I like the oyster's texture."

"That's OK. You don't have to eat any more if you don't want to."

"I appreciate all of the trouble you went to, though! Did you make all of the food yourself?"

"Oh no! Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde made everything and put it all together for me. Do you want the rest of your oysters?"

Lucy shook her head and gestured for Gareth to go ahead. He ate one immediately, and started on a second as Lucy asked, "Who are Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde?"

Gareth swallowed. "House Elves."

"So you and your parents have four House Elves?"

"No, Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde are the House Elves in Charge—they supervise the other house elves and are the liaisons with my family. I don't even know all of the house elves' names."

Gareth ate Lucy's last oyster and asked, "Ready for the second course? I'm afraid it still involves oysters, but they aren't raw. I love oysters." He waved his wand again and bowls that appeared to be made out of the same crystal as the goblets appeared. Champagne magically filled the goblets as the soup filled the bowls. "Oyster Chowder."

Lucy picked up her soup spoon and tasted the chowder. "Oh this is nice, very creamy." Lucy smiled. 

Gareth put down his soup spoon and raised his goblet. Lucy did likewise. "To us," Gareth said, tinking Lucy's glass with his own. 

"To us," Lucy repeated, and sipped the exquisite champagne. She had drunk champagne before, but never any as good as this. 

Their next course was a seafood pie which Lucy thought absolutely delicious. This was followed by a salad, "Oyster Caesar" Gareth said, but it tasted like regular Caesar dressing from what Lucy could tell. 

"Ready for dessert?" Gareth asked.

"Does it involve oysters?" Lucy teased.

Gareth laughed. "No, not at all. I've just grown up eating oysters since we have beds at our summer home in Majorca. Blinky is especially skilled at farming them. But even as much as I love them, I have never eaten one with desert." Gareth winked, and waved his wand to bring dessert out of the hamper.

Lucy laughed in delight as a yummy-looking compilation of crème and chocolate appeared before her with a puff of chocolate smoke. 

Gareth gestured for Lucy to take a bite, which she did. It was fabulous! The two of them quickly made their way through the delicious dessert, and after Lucy took her last bite, a ring appeared in the air floating over her bowl. Lucy stared at it. It was a golden ring with a diamond, with little pearls surrounding the diamond. 

When she looked back at Gareth, he had gotten down on one knee in front of her. "I love you, Lucy. Will you marry me?"

"YES!" Lucy shrieked, throwing hers arms around Gareth's neck and kissing him. They heard a crash and jumped apart.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" In the exuberance of her response, Lucy had knocked her goblet off of the table, and it lay in pieces on the floor of the compartment. Lucy waved her wand and said, "Reparo!" Nothing happened.

"Don't worry about it. My family has plenty of goblets."

"But why won't reparo work?"

"Well, it's blown gold made by Las Personas del Mar. Spanish merpeople," Gareth added, seeing Lucy's confused expression. "The bowls and goblets are blown gold and the candlesticks and silverware are made of gold. My father has quite a few mining interests. Reparo doesn't work but the pieces can be re-blown, so no worries." Gareth took a breath. "Since you said yes, you will need this." And he slipped the ring onto her finger. 

Lucy admired her hand. "It's really beautiful." She smiled at Gareth.

"I'm glad you like it. When would you like to get married?"

"I've always dreamed of being married on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. It's so symbolic to start a new life together with the new year."

"That sounds like a plan." And Gareth kissed her.

As their snogging increased in intensity, Gareth pulled Lucy into his lap on the compartment seat. After a very short time, Gareth transfigured the seat into a bed, and they continued snogging. When Gareth's hand moved up her leg under her skirt, and onto her bum, Lucy didn't stop him. When he started to remove her knickers, she _did_ stop him, and sat up.

"Gareth . . . not here."

"Why? We're alone."

"My parents are expecting me home for dinner. I want our first time to be special, not to have a time limit. And . . . well, I've always thought it would be romantic to wait until I was married." Lucy felt the Weasley blush creep up her face, and she hated that. She knew there was nothing wrong with wanting to wait, even if her choice was different than most other people. 

"Oh. OK. When you said before that you wanted to wait, I thought you meant until we were out of Hogwarts, and it wasn't against the rules. Head Boy and Girl being a good example and all that."

"Well, that's true, too, but we're going to be married in a few months . . ."

"Six," Gareth interrupted.

Lucy smiled. "What's six months when we have the rest of our lives?"

~*~

"A year and a half?!" Lucy shrieked. "I can't believe the church isn't available this year!"

Lucy's mum shook her head. "Not for the entire week before or after New Years' of 2021. It generally takes a longer planning time for a Muggle wedding than a Wizarding one, so having the location booked up six months in advance isn't really that unusual for a Muggle church. I booked New Year's Eve of 2022 just as an option, but you don't have to get married in Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell's church. You could have your wedding somewhere else, if you and Gareth would like to get married this year."

Lucy shrugged. "I think Gareth wanted to get married sooner, and so would I, but I've always dreamed of a New Year's wedding, and we have our entire lives together. I think it would mean a lot to Grandma and Grandpa if I got married in their church. I'll owl Gareth and ask."

"You can Floo him if you want . . ."

"Thanks, Mum, but I don't know where he is. He started working for his father's company immediately, and it involves a lot of travel."

"I'm glad your dad and I were at least able to have dinner with him before you lost him, then." Lucy's mum laughed and kissed her forehead.

Lucy rolled her eyes.

 

**~*~ December 2021 ~*~**

 

Lucy Apparated to Gareth's flat so they could Floo together to the Burrow. It was too cold to Apparate and walk from the borders of the grounds. They arrived together and Lucy introduced Gareth to her grandparents who warmly welcomed him to their home. This year Gareth's family postponed their annual ski trip, so Gareth could spend Christmas with the Weasleys, and Lucy could accompany Gareth on the ski trip, and they could get to know each other's families better. 

"Uncle George, I would like to introduce my fiancé, Gareth."

Uncle George shook Gareth's hand. "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Gareth. Or may I be less formal and call you Gary?"

"Er . . . It's Gareth, Sir. Never Gary. Nice to meet you, too." 

Lucy thought Uncle George had a rather strange look on his face, but she ignored it. Gareth looked exceedingly uncomfortable, so she quickly hugged Uncle George, and took Gareth's hand to lead him to greet her cousins. 

Gareth already knew all of Lucy's cousins from Hogwarts except for Louis and his spouse Louis, so she introduced him to both of them after hugging them herself. Gareth greeted Victoire warmly since the two of them had been in the same house and he knew her best. She and Molly whispered to Gareth to watch out for eating anything if he didn't know who had made it. But Gareth scoffed at their warning, so they let him be. 

Lucy wondered about the charmed trays of appetizers circulating around the crowd, which was a first, but Grandma Molly shrugged and said they were just trying something new. Lucy thought something might be going on with that, but she kept quiet and took a few appetizers since she was very hungry. 

Gareth watched her eat her appetizers, took one from the same plate, ate it, and turned into a giant lizard. 

Lucy shrieked, "Uncle George!"

He responded, "What?! It's Lizard Liverwurst. I've been working to create savory variations on a number of my Sweet Wheezes. It'll wear off in a mo'." 

Lucy thought Gareth the lizard looked very disgruntled, but he did turn back into himself shortly without any comment.

Gareth continued eating appetizers which he had Lucy taste first. A short while later, after Lucy had bitten into one with no reaction, Gareth ate it and turned into a canary.

"Honestly! Uncle George, how did that even happen? I took a bite of the same one!"

"Ah, but it's an ancient Wheezes secret. If I told you, I would have to kill you."

Lucy rolled her eyes, knowing Gareth made the angriest looking canary ever. 

Dinner was uneventful, but for dessert, Grandma Molly had tried something different, and made a French soufflé that was lit on fire. Everyone oohed and aahed, including Gareth as they were served their dessert. This was the first thing Gareth had seemed impressed by all evening. Lucy noticed Gareth's waiting until several other people had eaten before he tried any. He immediately turned into a flamingo, and a moment later so did Uncle Harry, Aunt Fleur, Aunt Angelina, Aunt Hermione, and Mason. 

After exclamations of surprise and Grandma Molly smacking Uncle George on the back of the head, everyone turned back. Uncle Harry laughed and said, "What'd you do, George? Tie the Wheeze to blood?"

"I cannot reveal my secrets, but basically, yes. Targeted Wheezes, a new product line I'm working on."

Uncle Harry nodded, and said, "Brilliant!" and there were many other murmurs of agreement, and some eye rolling by those who did not fancy being flamingos. Gareth sighed quietly, and Lucy took his hand under the table. 

After dessert, which was delicious, in spite of the flamingo incident, everyone began helping clear the table and preparing chocolates, coffee, and port to enjoy during the Celestina Warbeck concert. Gareth stood in the kitchen awkwardly as if unsure what to do, and asked Lucy to show him where the loo was. She did, and as she returned to the kitchen she heard Uncle George.

" ... and if he can't take a bloody joke then he's not right for our family!" 

Lucy barged into the kitchen, temper blazing, and before anyone else could respond, said, "Not everyone enjoys Wheezes, and you were purposely picking on Gareth! He's the only person not of Weasley blood who turned into multiple animals!" Lucy hissed, not wanting Gareth to come back from the loo and hear her. "And _you_ don't get to decide whether or not Gareth is 'right for our family!'"

"I'm sorry, Luce . . ."

"Sorry for thinking it or sorry I heard you?"

"Both?" Uncle George answered meekly.

Lucy was only slightly mollified. "Gareth is an only child and was basically raised by house elves since his parents' work involves a lot of travel. He's not used to us! Give him time!"

"I'm sorry, Lucy. Really. I shouldn't have said anything. I just wonder why the two of you got engaged in June, and this is his first time at a family gathering?"

Lucy glared at Uncle George. "He just began working for his father's company when we finished school, and he wants to do a good job!" Lucy, turned on her heel and went back out of the kitchen. She saw Gareth just coming down the stairs and took a deep breath to try to compose herself.

In spite of the cold, Gareth and Lucy decided to leave by Apparation and walked across the garden together. 

Gareth asked, "Do multiple people _always_ turn into animals at your family's dinners?"

"Pretty much, yes," Lucy chuckled. "Uncle George can't resist."

Gareth rolled his eyes and sighed. "At least he always does it. I thought maybe it was because he doesn't like me."

"He just doesn't know you yet. He'll love you when he gets to know you. This is only the second time he's ever seen you. Come to family dinners at the Burrow more often. Uncle George usually saves the Wheezes for holidays." 

"Oh joy. And he actually earns money making those bloody things?"

"Hey!" Lucy smacked Gareth's arm. "I _like_ Wheezes! And I love Uncle George! I can't believe you haven't ever even been to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes! I need to take you there as soon as we get back from the ski trip with your parents."

"I can hardly wait," Gareth muttered. He grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her into a kiss before she could smack him again.

~*~

Lucy and Gareth went together to the International Portkey office in order to catch their early portkey to Switzerland for the ski trip. They planned to meet Gareth's parents at the resort. 

Lucy had never met Gareth's parents before since a house elf had always collected him from Kings Cross before he was old enough to Apparate on his own. She was rather nervous about meeting them and really hoped they liked her. 

The portkey was unpleasant as always (Lucy had never really fancied them) but she arrived standing up in a cozy but beautiful cabin. She could see snow falling outside the large windows. 

"Mum? Dad? We're here!" Gareth called. 

An extremely well-dressed couple came out of one of the rooms and appeared before Lucy and Gareth. Gareth had told Lucy that his family was "casual" but Gareth's mom wore an elegant pantsuit which probably cost more than Lucy earned in a month, and his father was in khakis, a button down shirt with a silk tie and a sweater. Lucy felt extremely underdressed in her jeans and favorite jumper. 

"Mother, Father, may I present my fiancé, Miss Lucy Weasley?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr and Mrs Uchafgramen." Lucy stepped forward and offered her hand to each of Gareth's parents.

"Likewise, Lucy," Mr Uchafgramen smiled at her. Lucy wondered if they would let her call them by their first names, like her parents had for Gareth, but neither of them said anything, and she certainly would not bring up the issue.

"We'll let the two of you get settled and freshen up and then we can go have dinner. You'll certainly both want to change. We have the downstairs bedroom, and the two of you will have the upstairs bedroom. We brought Inky along to help out." Mrs Uchafgramen clapped her hands and a house elf appeared with a crack. "Inky, please take Gareth's and Lucy's luggage to the upstairs bedroom."

Before Lucy could say anything the house elf had disappeared with their luggage. She felt the Weasley blush begin to creep up her face. She knew she was in the minority by abstaining from sex before marriage—even her sister and several cousins had made different choices, but she had never shared a bed with Gareth, and couldn't see how she could be expected to now. They had snogged while lying down a couple of times, but that was very different. Lucy was starting to sweat.

Gareth said something in Welsh to his parents. 

They whispered to each other in Welsh, and then responded to Gareth in Welsh. 

Gareth took Lucy's hand and side-along Apparated her upstairs. She landed with a little shriek of surprise. 

"It's OK," Gareth said. "There's a sitting room and a bedroom up here, so I'll sleep on the sofa and you can have the bed. We will need to share the bathroom, though."

Lucy looked around and saw that Gareth was right. "OK," she answered. "You do realize I don't speak Welsh. What did you say to your parents about me?"

"Oh, my parents and I almost always speak in Welsh. Don't worry about it. Let's get changed for dinner, yeah?"

Lucy nodded and went into "her" room to change. She locked both doors, even though she was probably being paranoid. Thankfully, she had some better Muggle clothes she borrowed from Grandma Mitchell, since Mrs Uchafgramen was so dressed up. Lucy sighed. She didn't feel the meeting with Gareth's parents had gone well, and she was very aware he had not answered her question about what he had said to his parents. 

~*~

Lucy kissed Gareth goodnight and closed the door to her room behind her with a sigh. The food had been delicious, but the conversation was very awkward and uncomfortable. Gareth and Mr Uchafgramen excitedly spoke about the family business, which Lucy didn't really understand. They traveled extensively and seemed to be involved in about a million different things, but Lucy wasn't really sure what the company _did_. Mrs Uchafgramen seemed to glare at Lucy with disapproval no matter what she said, even insinuating (well more than insinuating, she stated it quite bluntly actually) that if Lucy were to be a good wife she would need to quit her job and devote herself to helping Gareth succeed in his. Mrs Uchafgramen did invite her to participate in the numerous charities and society events with which she helped, but Lucy didn't have much interest in most of them, especially The Spider Society which encouraged protection of and education about all of the species of spiders in the world. Lucy had a hard time avoiding visibly shuddering while Mrs Uchafgramen discussed her love of spiders. Lucy hated spiders. She had even covered her ears as a child when she first heard about Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron facing acromantulas to save Aunt Hermione. She didn't think she could have done it, and now she was going to have a mother-in-law who played with spiders for fun. 

~*~

Lucy had never been skiing before, nobody in her family had been, but Grandma Mitchell had helped her to find the proper "ski gear" Gareth said she needed. Grandma Mitchell had friends who skied, at least. The resort had Muggle and Wizard guests, and while there were a few areas designated for one or the other, both were mixed. Mrs Uchafgramen was muggle-born, and although Mr Uchafgramen was a pureblood, he had learned to adapt to looking like a Muggle, and loved skiing as his wife did. Lucy took a deep breath and left her bedroom finding Gareth waiting for her. 

"Ready?" Gareth asked.

"I guess," Lucy replied trying to smile. 

Gareth kissed her quickly, grabbed her hand and Apparated her downstairs to meet his parents for their first day of skiing. "Don't be nervous. You'll love skiing! It's brilliant!" 

~*~

Skiing was not at all brilliant, Lucy decided as she waited for the Healer in the resort's Wizarding infirmary. Gareth sat with her, holding her hand. His parents were going to arrange for food to be brought in for them, since Lucy might be there for a while. At least they had already given her some pain relief potion, so she wasn't in the agony she was in when she first fell.

"Miss Weasley?" The Healer asked as he came thought the curtain.

"Yes." 

"Is this young man family?"

"He's my fiancé."

"Do you want him to stay?"

Lucy nodded, as Gareth exclaimed "Of course she wants me to stay!"

The Healer didn't comment, but waved his wand over Lucy to examine her. "Two broken ankles . . . and not clean breaks either, as the bones twisted before breaking. We will give you skelegro, and need to keep you here with no weight on your ankles at all for at least several days to make sure there is complete healing. I wouldn't want you to re-injure yourself or to have any problems later on."

Lucy sighed and nodded. "Would it be possible for you to portkey me to St Mungo's, or to my parents' house so I wouldn't have to stay here? I mean, I'll stay off my ankles and do what I'm told to get better."

"You don't have to leave! I'll stay with you," Gareth volunteered.

"I can send you home to rest once the skelegro has finished working. I wouldn't want to move you right now. I'll give you a few minutes, while I prepare the skelegro." The Healer left.

"I appreciate it, Gareth, but I know how much you've been looking forward to this trip with your parents. It won't be any fun for you or your parents to have to sit with me and miss your ski trip, and I'd be more comfortable at home to rest up anyway, with multiple family members to distract me."

Gareth nodded. "I'll stay with you while you're here at least, and my parents should be bringing food soon."

"OK."

~*~

The second dinner with Gareth's parents was far better than the first even if it did occur in the infirmary. Gareth had told them some of Lucy's favorite foods, and the Uchafgramens really did their best to bring things she liked, be kind to her and show her sympathy. 

The Healer allowed Gareth to stay with her, and they gave Lucy another pain potion so she would be able to sleep. When Lucy awoke the next morning, Gareth was asleep with his head on the bed next to her. His parents paid the Healer to accompany her home the next morning and came along with Gareth to make sure she settled in well. They left Gareth with Lucy and took her parents out to breakfast. When they returned to Switzerland with Gareth, Lucy enjoyed several days of recuperation happily ensconced on her parents' sofa, surrounded by her cousins who were all doing their best to entertain her. 

 

**~*~ Summer 2022 ~*~**

 

"Okay. Now say, 'Thank you.'"

"Er . . . I know there's a 'kar' in it?" Molly answered uncertainly. 

"Right! It's 'eff-kar-ees-TOE,'" Lucy carefully pronounced the word.

"It's effing something, that's for sure," Molly muttered.

"Molly!" Lucy chided. "You can at least remember _one_ Greek word!"

"I'm trying! I didn't inherit Dad's gift for languages like you did."

"You're not getting sympathy from me. I'm trying to learn Welsh, and it's a lot harder than Greek."

"Isn't Welsh harder than anything? There aren't any vowels in it."

"There are vowels . . . sometimes. Maybe you should help me study Welsh to take your mind off of learning Greek."

"I think we can come up with something better than that for a break. I'm nervous about meeting Mason's family, and you know my brain doesn't work when I'm nervous."

"Why would you be nervous?"

Molly snorted. "After your fiasco meeting Gareth's family? Have you even seen them since?"

"Yes! We had dinner last month! And it went better than before, even though the restaurant was a bit fancy for me."

"How do you mean?"

"I didn't know what half the things on the menu were, and there was this waiter . . . I think his only job was to stand there and watch people eat, then to swoop in and sweep up their breadcrumbs with this little brush and tray-thing. I like my breadcrumbs where they are, thanks."

Molly laughed. "Mason's family isn't as wealthy as Gareth's, and they're a large family, too. They sound a lot more like us from what he's said."

"At least you get to see Mason." Lucy sighed.

"How long has Gareth been travelling this time?"

"A month. I haven't seen him since we had dinner with his parents. Not having a job is starting to sound like a plan, so I could travel with him."

"But you love your job! And you're good at it!"

"I love Gareth, too, and I never see him! I owled my boss and asked about the possibility of working out of the office, or scheduling my meetings on one day each week to come in, so I'd be able to at least travel with Gareth some of the time once we're married. I don't want to quit my job, and I made sure I was clear on that point. I know we have six months to work something out, but I wanted to get started early. Now I'm getting nervous, too."

"Want to go flying?"

"I'll grab our brooms."

~*~

Percy, Audrey, Molly, Mason, and Lucy stepped out of the International Portkey Office in Athens. Mason frantically waved to seven people who were hurrying towards them, everyone exclaiming in Greek. Lucy caught a few words from helping Molly study, but the blank look on Molly's face made it pretty clear she hadn't.

Lucy whispered to Molly, "Say 'Ka-lee-mare-uh'" which means 'Good Morning.'"

Molly obediently said, "Kali Mera, Mr and Mrs Kokinos."

They both hugged her and exclaimed, "A beautiful angel and she speaks our language, too! We are not Mr and Mrs, but Theo and Agata." 

Molly laughed, and said, "I only speak about two words of Greek, and that's with my sister whispering in my ear."

The entire Kokinos family laughed.

Mason said, "All right, formal introductions." He gestured to each person in turn as he spoke. "My parents Agata and Theodore Kokinos, my sister Aileen and her husband Tyge—Ty for short, my brother Alexander and his wife Calla, and my nephew Darrius."

Molly added, "My parents Audrey and Percy Weasley, and my sister Lucy."

Agata Kokinos said, "Good! We all know each other. No we will go eat!" She busily divided everyone into pairs to side-along Apparate them. Darrius took Lucy. She thought he looked to be about her age. 

She almost stumbled when they landed, but Darrius caught her. Lucy was very aware of his firm, warm hand on her arm, and noticed his well-defined bicep. She shook herself of that thought and looked around, wondering where they were. Darrius said, "It's the Athens Open Air Market. We can pick up some food and have a picnic for lunch."

They all chattered as they wandered through the various sections of the Market. They hurried through the Fish Market which smelled dreadful, but lingered in the Bread Market, which made Lucy's stomach rumble from all of the aromas of fresh-baked breads. They all followed Agata, and just looked around as she made various selections. When she had determined that everyone was ready, she again had all of the Kokinos family Apparate the Weasleys to the Acropolis, where they enjoyed a fabulous view while they ate lunch. Lunch turned out to be a huge assortment of homemade breads and cheeses from the market, as well as wine and mineral water. 

They all talked as they ate, and Lucy felt like her family and Mason's family had known each other forever. There was no awkwardness or discomfort at all. After they finished eating, they all walked around the Acropolis, and saw the Erechthion and Mars Hill, and took a rather longer walk to the Olympic Stadium, where they examined both the Muggle and Wizarding parts. 

Lucy spent most of the time talking to Darrius, who she was surprised to learn _was_ her age. 

"Uncle Mason—I really only call him 'uncle' to tease him—is only six years older than me. We were raised more like siblings. My dad is eighteen years older than Mason, and my Aunt Aileen is sixteen years older. Mason was a bit of a surprise to my grandparents."

Lucy laughed. "Do you have siblings?" 

"Yes, I have two younger sisters. They're still in school. The rest of us took the day off work to come meet all of you. My sisters aren’t happy that I got to come, and our parents wouldn't let them out of school."

"I'm glad I took the day off from work, too. Athens is beautiful."

Darrius winked. "Wait until you see Napflio."

They again were side-along Apparated to Napflio, Mason's hometown. Lucy was stunned by the white buildings against the bright blue sky, and the bluest, clearest water she had ever seen. They went to a restaurant in the center of town owned by Mason's aunt, and met more family members, who were not off of work, and enjoyed wonderful food and fellowship. 

~*~

The next day was spent at the beach, since Napflio is a port town on the Mediterranean Sea. They sat in the sun or under umbrellas, swam, enjoyed a wonderful beach barbecue provided by Theo and Agata, and watched the children playing in the water. Mason's cousins were there with their children as well as his nieces and nephews.  
In the midst of the chaos, Molly and Lucy did have a chance to talk while resting under an umbrella in the shade. 

"So. You're spending a lot of time with Darrius."

"Agata paired us up." Lucy shrugged. "Besides, he speaks English really well, and he'll be my sister's nephew." Lucy grinned mischievously. "I don't know what that makes him to me, but some vague sort of family."

"It's not a hardship either since he's smoking hot," Molly fanned herself and grinned.

"Molly! You're with Mason!"

"Of course I am, and I love Mason, but I'm not dead. Or blind, either. I can appreciate the perfection of Darrius' body as one would appreciate fine art." Molly winked.

Lucy rolled her eyes, and didn't answer her sister, even though she was correct about Darrius. If Lucy hadn't been engaged, she probably wouldn't even be able to talk to Darrius since she'd be so tongue tied. Molly was also right that Mason's family was as big as theirs. It was a wonderful day. Lucy didn't voice her thoughts that she had imagined meeting Gareth's family would have been like this.

~*~

The following day was Sunday, and Mason's family invited the Weasleys to join them for church. The Greek Orthodox Church in Napflio was within walking distance of the hotel where Lucy was staying with her family. Molly seemed excited about going since Mason had told her how beautiful the church was. They walked together to the service, and Lucy saw the bright white of the outside of the church outlined against the clear blue sky and agreed it was beautiful. The entire city was. Colors seemed brighter and the white buildings against the blue sky provided a backdrop for the tree-lined streets and colorful flowers in window boxes. 

When Lucy walked inside the church, she gasped. It was exquisite. Everything was intricately decorated with gold scroll-work and beautiful paintings. She tried to look around carefully to absorb every detail, but there was too much to see. The plain white of the outside was deceptive, almost like opening a geode. There were no pews, just a few seats built into the walls where a handful of very elderly people were sitting. Lucy and her family joined the group of people standing in the middle of the room, and very shortly Mason found Molly and put an arm around her. 

Lucy smelled the incense which was lovely, and not overpowering, and listened to the music, as the entire service was sung. She only caught a word or two, but it didn't matter. The music touched her heart without her needing to understand the words. 

The service lasted for several hours, but people came and went as they wanted. Mason's family was there when Lucy and her family arrived, and they probably stayed for an hour, and then went to Agata and Theo's home for lunch. Even Lucy felt welcomed as part of the family, and Molly and Mason weren't even engaged. Yet, Lucy thought. They all had a wonderful weekend with Mason's family, and Lucy knew she was disappointed to have to portkey back to England and go to work the next day.

~*~

As Lucy drudged through Monday, she received an owl from her mum inviting her to lunch. She gladly sent back an acceptance.

After they ordered their food, Lucy's mum said, "You've seemed sad over the weekend. What's bothering you, love?"

Lucy sighed. She never could hide anything from her mum. "It's just that Mason's family was so wonderful, and Mason and Molly aren't even engaged. I sort of expected Gareth's family to treat me like Mason's family treated Molly."

Her mum nodded thoughtfully. "When your dad met my parents, things didn't go well at all. They didn't like him one bit, and like you and Gareth, we were already engaged. My parents didn't like your Grandma and Grandpa Weasley either, although the Weasleys were all wonderful to me."

"But Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell like Grandma and Grandpa Weasley and dad now, don't they?"

"They do, but it didn't happen immediately. My parents are very private people. They aren't unfriendly, but it takes them some time to open up. I think Gareth's parents seem like that. They were kind to you and looked after you when you got hurt, but they aren't one of those extremely friendly families like the Weasleys or the Kokinos. It doesn't make them bad, just different, and a bit more reserved."

Lucy nodded thoughtfully. 

"It probably does not help that you and Gareth both have new jobs and he travels a lot for his. It's hard to be apart from someone you love."

"It is!" Lucy agreed. "And you're right. I think I was comparing Gareth's family to Mason's and that's not fair. Thanks, Mum."

Lucy decided she needed to make more of an effort to see Gareth more often, and greatly enjoyed her lunch with her mum.

 

**~*~ December 2022 ~*~**

 

Lucy finished the final fitting of her dress at the Burrow, earlier than expected and decided to surprise Gareth at his flat before they went to her parents' house for dinner. They had been seeing each other every week or two rather than every month, but if she hurried they'd have time for a lovely snog . . .

She Apparated directly into the flat and shrieked at what she saw—Gareth and two blonds . . . Lucy couldn't even think it. 

"Bloody Fucking Hell!!!" she swore. She must be channeling Uncle Ron. She couldn't remember if she'd ever sworn before. 

"Is she mad we started without her?" Blond Number 1 asked Gareth.

Blond Number 2 waved to Lucy and said, "Hi! I'm Bobbi! Come join us! The more the merrier!" She giggled. 

"No, thank you," Lucy said to Bobbi. She was determined not to cry in front of them and Disapparated. 

Lucy reappeared in her own flat, and immediately pulled open her kitchen cupboard. "Bloody Hell!" she muttered, starting to cry. She was out of Firewhisky. She glanced at the rack across the kitchen. No wine either. She Apparated again, this time arriving in her parents' kitchen.

"Lucy! You're early!" Her mum hurried to hug her and saw her face. "Sweetie, what happened?"

Lucy couldn't form words. She started sobbing hysterically into her mum's shoulder, and felt her mum's arms wrap around her. When she finally stopped for breath and looked up, her dad was standing there holding a handkerchief and a large glass of wine. She whispered, "Thanks" and took the handkerchief and blew her nose. Then took the glass of wine, and after her first sip, realized it was her favorite Merlot, and took several more large sips. 

Lucy knew she needed to say something to her parents who had been so patiently and quietly comforting her. She took a deep breath and another fortifying gulp of wine. Her mum sat down and patted the chair next to her, and Lucy sat. Her dad took the chair across from her, and patted her hand. Lucy finally started, "Grandmum finished with my dress early, so I thought I'd go surprise Gareth at his flat, and . . . and . . ." Lucy felt tears welling in her eyes again. "And . . . he and two blonds were . . . they were . . . naked and well . . . they were . . ., and one of them invited me . . . to join them." Lucy burst into sobs again. 

Her mum hugged her, while her dad held her hand. She had managed to quit crying again when the doorbell rang. Her dad squeezed her hand and went to answer it. Lucy heard Gareth's voice, "Er . . . Mr Weasley . . . is Lucy here?"

Her dad answered with a terse, "Yes."

Gareth responded, "May I see her?"

Her dad closed the door and returned to her and her mum. "Do you want to talk to him? I'll tell him to go away if you don't."

Lucy shrugged, "I guess I need to talk to him sometime. You can both come with me." Lucy looked at each of her parents in turn. "Please?"

The three of them walked back to the door and opened it to see Gareth still outside and shivering since he wasn't wearing a coat. Lucy didn't care one bit. Let him freeze.

"What do you want?" Lucy asked.

Gareth looked to both of Lucy's parents and whispered, "Can we talk alone?"

Lucy shook her head, no. 

"Well, er . . . we're getting married in just less than a month, and you seemed upset, so . . ."

"We are NOT getting married after what I saw today! You cheated on me!"

"We aren't married yet!"

Sparks came out of Lucy's fingertips. She hadn't done accidental magic since before she started at Hogwarts, but she hadn't been this angry before either. 

Her dad said, "Young man, you are in violation of Wizarding Law. Codicil #77 of the Betrothal Covenant of 1772 clearly states that the laws of marriage also apply to the premarital period of betrothal, and any wizard who violates said covenant is liable for the transgression and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Punishments include up to a 100,000 galleon fine, a month in Azkaban, and castration. Personally, I plan to push for the latter."

"What?!" Gareth squeaked.

"I'm not marrying you, and I never want to see you again."

Gareth stood there looking dumbfounded.

"You heard her. Vacate our property immediately. My barrister will contact you with the date of your appearance before the Wizengamot."

Gareth looked terrified, but he Disapparated without another word. 

Lucy hugged her dad. "Are you really going to have Gareth castrated? I'm very much in favor of it."

Percy responded, "I wish I could, honey, but I made all of that up."

Lucy snorted. 

"You were extremely convincing, love. I knew you were making it up, and you had me fooled."

"But what if Gareth researches it, and figures out you made it up?"

Percy shrugged. "So? I made up a law. If he believes it, he'll dread hearing from my barrister. He'll probably realize eventually that I did make it up when he doesn't hear anything, but a few days of worry will serve him right. Actually, I need to talk to George. Maybe he has a product."

They heard two pops, and Molly called, "Hello? Where is everyone?"

Lucy, Percy, and Audrey returned to the kitchen to find Mason and Molly, who was holding her bridesmaid's dress. 

"Hi! We came straight from Grandmum's, so I just need to hang this up somewhere."

Lucy said, "You can throw it in the fireplace. The wedding's off."

"What?!" Molly thrust her dress at Mason and hugged Lucy tightly. "I'm so sorry! I'm sure you've already told Mum and Daddy what happened, so you can tell me later. I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Thank you," Lucy muttered into Molly's shoulder, starting to cry again at her sister's thoughtfulness. "I'm going to be a hundred-year-old virgin with thirty cats!" she wailed. 

"You're only twenty. I didn't even meet your mum until I was older than you. And I thought you didn't like cats," her dad said.

"I don't like cats," Lucy sniffled.

"Then why would you have one cat, let alone thirty, if you don't like them?" Mason asked, still holding Molly's bridesmaid's dress. 

Lucy chuckled wetly. "I guess you have a point."

"Why don't we all have dinner?" Audrey said. "Difficult things are always easier to face with full stomachs." 

~*~

 

After eating her mum's delicious food and on her second large glass of wine, Lucy was starting to feel better, even if her future, so certain a few hours ago, was now completely unplanned. Well, not completely, she reminded herself. Her family loved her, and she enjoyed her job in the Ministry Arithmancy Department, and now wouldn't have to change anything about it.

Lucy's dad put the last of their plates in the sink, brought the Firewhisky bottle to the table and sat back down, pouring glasses for himself and Mason. She, Molly, and their mum were drinking wine, and the bottle was already in front of Lucy. 

"Firstly, we need to tell all of the guests the wedding is off," her dad began. "I'll compose a letter, which we can duplicate, but additional owls would be helpful."

"I can go get my and Molly's owls," Mason offered.

"Thank you, Mason. Could you please get mine, too?" Lucy asked. "I can let you through the wards to my flat," Lucy tapped Mason with her wand. "My flat!" Lucy shrieked. "I didn't renew my lease, since I was going to move in with Gareth after the wedding!" 

"Send your landlord a patronus. Maybe she hasn't let the flat yet."

Lucy concentrated on the message and sent off her owl patronus. She only waited a moment before a beaver returned. Lucy sighed at hearing the message and said to her family, "She's sorry, but she already let the flat."

Her dad said, "That's too bad, but you can move in here after your lease is up. Or now if you want to."

Lucy noticed a strange look pass between Molly and Mason she didn't understand. 

"Well, I'll get the owls," Mason said and Disapparated.

Molly said, "Excuse me for a moment. Loo." And she left the room, too. 

Lucy poured herself another glass of wine, took a gulp, and said to her parents, "I'm sorry I'm causing you so much trouble. I know you've already paid for so many things."

"Sweetie, none of this is your fault. And there's really not much we've paid for."

"Your mum's right. You're even more frugal than me," her dad said, sounding proud. "You had Grandmum remake Victoire's bridesmaids' dresses, so there was no purchasing fabric, and Hannah is donating the reception at The Leaky Cauldron as a gift. She probably won't mind being open on New Year's Eve after all, but she hasn't spent money and certainly didn't want a deposit."

"We did put a deposit on Grandma and Grandpa's church, but it wasn't much. We'll call it a donation."

"The fabric for your wedding gown was on sale, and Grandma made it, so not much expense there. Victoire was going to make your wedding cake as her gift to you, and Molly, Dominique, and Roxie were doing the decorations, so no expense there either. And even if we had paid for everything, it's nothing for you to worry about. We can afford it."

~*~

Later that night, Molly went back to Lucy's flat with her to hear the entire story of what had happened. Lucy told Molly far more details than she had told her parents, and Molly was appropriately horrified. 

Lucy slept for twelve hours straight from sheer exhaustion after Molly left. Mum had always said things would look better in the morning, but as Lucy made tea in her small kitchen she choked up with tears again. Her days in her beloved flat were numbered. 

By early afternoon, flocks of owls began arriving with sympathy from all of her family. Her maternal grandparents telephoned with their condolences, and invited Lucy to come raid their wine cellar. Grandma Molly sent a box of meat pies and a box of Lucy's favorite biscuits. Hannah brought over so much food that Lucy's entire family could eat for two weeks. 

That night, Roxie appeared at Lucy's door. "I'm taking you to a club to get you drunk. My treat, and I won't take no for an answer." 

Lucy obediently changed into the clothes Roxie selected for her and didn't argue. 

The next day, Lucy received yet another owl, this time from Louis.

> Dear Lucy,  
>  May I come through the Floo? I would like to speak with you. 
> 
> Louis

Lucy couldn't remember Louis' owling her before, and he certainly had never been to her flat since he lived in France, and she didn't see him as often as some of her other cousins. Her curiosity piqued, she changed her wards accordingly, spoke to Louis briefly through the Floo, and let him come over.

"Hello, Lucy," Louis greeted as he brushed ash off of his robes. "I know I am not the best correspondent of our cousins, so I will get to the point. Louie has a great-uncle, he's not really close to him or anything, but he can contact him as needed, who is part of the French Milieu, and he will _take care of_ Gareth if you like."

Lucy gave Louis a confused look. "What is . . ."

Louis cut her off with a whisper. "Organized crime. You can see why I didn't want to include this information in an owl. "

"Yes, of course. Er . . . I appreciate the offer, but Dad said he was going to talk to Uncle George, so I think they already have something in the works."

"That's fine. I just wanted to make the offer."

"I appreciate it." 

Louis hugged Lucy, and Flooed back to France.

~*~

Not knowing what else to do, Lucy packed up her flat, and with her family's help moved back in with her parents. After a week, she was about to die from sympathy overload, although her entire family was enjoying all of the wonderful food and alcohol everyone was bringing. Weasleys had a strong tradition of dealing with tragedy by eating, after all. 

Lucy missed having her own space. She loved all of her family and saw everyone frequently, but now she was never alone. She was starting to wonder if she should owl everyone, including her grandparents, all of the explicit details of why she had called off her wedding, in hopes they'd be shocked speechless, and she could have some peace and quiet. 

Just over a week after she called off her wedding, Molly and Roxie knocked on her bedroom door. She invited them in and listened to what they had to tell her. 

"Let me get this straight. You want one of our family members to go to a Muggle singing telegram shop—is it called a shop?"

Molly and Roxanne both shrugged.

"And have our as-yet-unnamed relative pretend to be a friend of Gareth's and order a singing telegram as a stag night prank since he apparently didn't get the message that the wedding's off, and said relative will take one of Uncle George's products, for the singing telegram bloke to give to Gareth which will do something to him you haven't told me yet."

"Excellent summary, Luce," Molly said, smiling at her sister. 

"There's at least one large problem with this plan. The only one of our male cousins who is comfortable using a telephone is Hugo, and his voice hasn't changed yet. Roxie, didn't you say the bloke had to be 18?"

"That's right."

"So . . ." Lucy splayed her hands in question.

Molly started talking again. "Actually, in order to include Uncle George's product, the person who orders the singing telegram would have to actually go to the shop, and Hugo definitely doesn't look eighteen, but we do have other male relatives who would be willing to help you get back at Gareth."

"Well, of course, all of our cousins would help, and Louis even came over to my flat and offered help . . . of a similar type. But they aren't going to pass for Muggles."

"There's someone who will."

"Who?"

"Dad."

"Dad!? You think Dad is going to help pull a prank?"

"He wanted to have Gareth castrated! I'm sure he'd help with a prank!"

Lucy rolled her eyes.

Roxanne joined the conversation. "I've never pulled a prank before and I thought of this scheme. I think it's worth it to at least ask Uncle Percy."

Lucy shrugged. "Ask away."

Lucy's dad agreed to the plan immediately, and her mum offered to perform charms to help him look younger and hide his glasses. 

"And Rosie has volunteered to provide the product Uncle George gave her!" Molly enthused.

"What product?" Lucy asked.

Lucy saw Molly briefly glance at their parents, but she responded, "The adult version of Lizard Licorice. It will turn one part of a man into a lizard for a very long time."

Lucy snorted, as her dad exclaimed, "Wow! He actually made it? I helped invent that!" 

Lucy and Molly stared at their dad in shock. 

"When The Tosser broke your heart, Molly, your Uncle George, Uncle Bill, and Uncle Ron took me out for drinks, and we commiserated about hating to see our teenage daughters hurt and what we'd like to do to those who hurt them, and well . . ."

"Well, it looks like the Adult Lizard Licorice will be put to good use." Roxanne added. 

 

~*~

Only the day after she agreed to Molly and Roxanne's insane prank, an owl arrived from Gareth.

> Dearest Lucy,
> 
> I gave you some time to calm down and hope you have. I have not told my family you called off the wedding in hopes you would have changed your mind and contacted me by now. 
> 
> I also know the law your dad mentioned does not exist—I looked it up, and your dad invented it. I won't hold it against him, though. 
> 
> I know you were shocked by what you saw, and for that I apologize, but I didn't do anything wrong. Some friends bought me a "Teaching Companion" for my 17th birthday, and I have practiced occasionally since. You know the saying, "Practice makes perfect." I wanted to be well-studied for our wedding night. 
> 
> You are the only woman who has or ever will have my heart. 
> 
> Love,
> 
> Your husband-to-be Gareth

Lucy shrieked. She felt so furious she was beyond words. That was another problem with living with her parents—they both Apparated into her room upon hearing her shriek.

"Lucy! Are you OK?"

"What happened, Sweetie?"

Lucy thrust the letter at them. It was easier than trying to speak. She watched her dad's mouth drop open, and her mother's face heat up with anger as they read Gareth's letter. When they finished and handed it back to her, Lucy's mum asked, "How do you plan to respond?"

Lucy snarled, "I plan to tell him to sod off!"

Her dad snorted, and said, "Good."

"Would you like help?" Lucy's mum asked.

Lucy shrugged, and looked quizzically at her mum. 

She took the letter and waved her wand over it producing an identical copy. She turned both letters over, waved her wand again and identical words appeared on the backs of each. Her mum gave her the letters and Lucy saw that they were in her handwriting.

> Gareth,
> 
> Heart, soul, mind and body are all connected. If your body cheated, so did the rest of you. I deserve someone faithful.  
>  SOD OFF!!!
> 
> Lucy

Lucy's dad had read over her shoulder. "One for Gareth and one for his parents?"

"That's the plan if Lucy approves."

"Brilliant," Lucy whispered. "I definitely approve."

~*~

A few days later, George, Roxanne, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Molly, and Mason came over to Percy and Audrey's for dinner and for Phase One of Operation Lizard.

"Are you sure about this, Dad?" Lucy asked for the hundredth time. "I don't want you to get in trouble with the Ministry."

Her dad nodded, but before he could speak, Uncle George exclaimed, "Of course he's sure! This plan is _brilliant_ and my little girl thought of it!" Uncle George kissed the top of Roxanne's head. She rolled her eyes. "I couldn't be more proud! Your first prank! And come to think of it, this is your first prank, too, isn't it, Perce?"

Lucy's dad shrugged. "That depends. It's definitely the biggest."

Everyone gathered around the telephone and Percy called about the singing telegram. 

"I would like to schedule a singing telegram for December 30th please. I didn't know if advanced reservations are required . . . They are to make sure the telegram is delivered at the requested time? Good, then. December 30th. It's a stag night prank and I would like to include some licorice to be eaten all at once, as well as some beer for the recipient to drink. Will that be possible? Good. I would also like to request Hector for the delivery. He performed admirably for a friend of mine, is that . . . Yes, thank you. And could I have the event filmed? Excellent . . . Yes, that will be fine. Will Monday be soon enough to stop by with the payment? You can put the reservation under the name Weatherby. All right, I will see you Monday. Thank you."

"Weatherby!" Uncle George shrieked and pulled Percy into a hug, laughing. 

"I have an announcement," Molly stated. Lucy noticed she was clutching Mason's hand. "I'm moving in with Mason!" 

This announcement was met with silence from the family until Roxanne said, "That's great! Lucy will be able to have your flat!"

Lucy saw the not exactly happy looks on her parents' faces and said, "Molly, you don't have to move in with Mason just to give me your flat. I'm fine staying here until I find something."

"I'm not moving in with Mason for you. I've _already_ moved in with Mason because I want to, and my flat's empty, so you may as well go live there. I told my landlord I would let him know if you would be taking over my lease or if I'd be canceling it, so if you don't want my flat . . ."

"I'll take your flat!" Lucy said quickly.

The rest of the family was still speechless, but George burst out, "My daughter and my brother are pulling pranks together, and my niece is causing even more mischief! This is the best day of my life!" Everyone laughed.

~*~

Everything went smoothly with the transaction the following Monday. Even though the family would not be available to watch, a less busy day was decided to be the better plan. 

The viewing of the prank by the entire Weasley family and their friends who were considered family required more planning than the actual prank. They had to have a location with the Muggle devices to enable the watching of the disk which Percy picked up at the specified time. The choices were either the home of Lucy and Molly's Muggle grandparents, the Mitchells, or the Grangers. While both couples were often invited to the Burrow for family gatherings, neither had ever hosted all of the Weasleys in their home, and when Lucy's wedding was cancelled, the Grangers decided to go on a New Year's holiday. They also decided when they heard about the prank to allow everyone to come to their home while they were away and watch the recording. The Mitchell's offered to buy pizza for everyone. 

Lucy's wedding had turned into a New Year's Eve Party at the Granger's instead. As they began watching, they saw Hector singing a silly song, which made Gareth and his friends laugh. Then Hector made Gareth eat a double batch of the licorice and drink several beers. His friends yelled encouragement for him to eat and drink everything offered to him.

"Why'd you include the beers, Perce? That wasn't part of the original plan?"

Several cries of "Shhh!" and "Hush Uncle George!" rang out.

But the video had ended. 

"We really didn't see much, did we?" Lucy asked. 

"We couldn't exactly have Hector film him peeing, could we?" 

"I included the beers to draw attention away from the licorice. Plus, as this is supposed to be a Stag Night prank, it made sense to include alcohol."

"And Gareth hates beer, so that's a bonus."

~*~

The video had been a bit of a let-down, but Lucy was glad to have had a reason not to think on the night which would have been her wedding. She actually had fun, and enjoyed spending time with so many people she loved. And even if she didn't get to see it, she trusted Uncle George's product had worked. 

She also enjoyed sleeping in, and having peace and quiet in what was formerly her sister's flat. She didn't like it quite as well as she had her own, but as much as she loved her parents, this was preferable to living with them. 

She went to the Burrow for New Year's Day brunch and to spend time relaxing with her family again. She was flying with her cousins for the Weasley Family Quidditch Tournament when she saw Gareth coming through the gate onto the property. She called a time-out and everyone landed.

"YOU!" Gareth screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at Lucy. "YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!" 

Lucy had never seen Gareth like this. His face was red and his chest was heaving. He looked rather scary, but she responded calmly, "Did what to you?"

"THIS!" Gareth gestured vaguely to his body.

" _What?_ You look perfectly fine." All of Lucy's family had moved to stand with her, but were keeping quiet.

"I know you are responsible," Gareth hissed, "or if not you, then one of your cousins or your Uncle George and his fucking shite from his store."

"Hey!" Uncle George exclaimed.

"If I find one shred of evidence to prove . . . I will have all of you arrested!"

Uncle Harry stepped forward. "As Head of the Auror Department, I would be glad to take your statement, as I am sure my fellow Aurors would be." Uncle Ron and Roxanne stepped forward behind Uncle Harry.

"All of you were probably in on it! I'll have your jobs!"

"Threatening an Auror is against the law, Mr Uchafgramen," Uncle Harry said, "but I will let that slide as you are so visibly upset. If you wish to make a report accusing me or my family members of any sort of wrongdoing, you are welcome to do so at the Ministry. There are Aurors working today, ready to take your statement. However, you will need to tell them what it is we allegedly did."

Gareth glared at Uncle Harry, and without another word, turned around, walked out of the gate and Apparated.

Once he was gone, the entire family broke into excited chattering and laughter. Lucy said, "Uncle Harry, Gareth couldn't really get you and Uncle Ron, and Roxie into trouble, could he?"

"No. First of all, he would have to show the Aurors what it is he thinks we did. And even then, nothing's truly wrong with him. There aren't any laws about turning people or parts of people into animals or your Uncle George would be called into my office all the time. Don't worry about it, Lucy."

"Besides, honey," her dad said. "Gareth was drunk at the time. If they did an investigation and asked his friends what happened, they will hear he was drinking, and could even see him drinking on the video. He's not going to do anything."

"OK. Back to Quidditch!" Lucy yelled, and all of her family cheered.

~*~

The next day, Lucy received a rather unexpected owl.

> Dear Lucy,
> 
> We apologize for the lateness of this communication, but we did not know of the true situation until now. Gareth told us on the morning of your wedding day that it was off, but would not tell us why. Of course we rushed to let our friends and relatives know. As Gareth was not talking to us, we questioned our house elves. Although Gareth ordered them to keep quiet, our orders trump his. Clyde finally showed your owl to us which Gareth had made him conceal.
> 
> We know this doesn't help at this point, but we are appalled by Gareth's behavior, and do not in the least approve of his actions or his attitude. Gareth is in the wrong and treated you poorly. We apologize for the pain our son has caused you.
> 
> We suspect that you (possibly with the help of your ingenious uncle and his excellent joke products) have taken some sort of revenge on Gareth. We are quite glad of this, as he heartily deserved it. There will be no repercussions to you or your family. Gareth may have blustered about suing, but we will not allow it.
> 
> You are an exceptional young woman, Lucy, and we regret not having the joy of having you as a daughter.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Megan and Rhys Uchafgramen

**~*~ Summer 2023 ~*~**

Lucy was rather disgruntled she did not have a partner for the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Defeat of Voldemort Ball. She actually had not gone out with anyone since Gareth. It had only been five months, but she was frustrated, especially since two more of her cousins would be getting married this summer and both bridesmaid dresses were horrible, and would not be helpful to her in finding a new boyfriend. 

Uncle George was the Master of Ceremonies, and towards the end of the program, he announced a special surprise. Scorpius Malfoy went to the front of the room and proposed to Rose!

Even without asking, Lucy was quite sure the public proposal was to prevent Uncle Ron and Mr Malfoy from making a scene or saying they didn't want their children getting married. Rose didn't look the least bit surprised, and did not seem to be putting on her ring for the first time, either.

After congratulating Rose with a huge hug and welcoming Scorpius as a new cousin, Lucy left to find a restroom. She did need the loo, but she needed a break from the crowd, too. 

When she returned to the ballroom, she saw her dad and Molly talking, with their heads close together. She stood behind one of the decorative Corinthian columns, and cast an Amplificatus charm in their direction. 

She heard her dad say, ". . . Mason at least engaged yet?"

Dad didn't sound as if he were giving Molly a hard time, so that was good. 

Molly looked around the room before she answered, "To tell you the truth, Dad, Mason proposed the night before Lucy called off her wedding. I just couldn't bear to announce it when Lucy was so devastated."

Lucy saw her dad hug Molly and kiss the top of her head. "You are a wonderful big sister."

Lucy cancelled the charm and left the ballroom. She needed some place quiet to think, but where could she find in the midst of all of these people? There was the loo, but she hated to take up a stall if it wasn't necessary, and if she was in there too long chances were someone would ask her if she was sick. She needed somewhere nobody would find her. She wandered around until she saw the perfect place—the cloakroom!

Lucy had seen an attendant when they came in, but he wasn't there now. She crept into the cloakroom and walked to the back. There was a small area around the corner behind a hat rack, and she sat down on the floor, the hat rack hiding her from sight, at least if anyone looked into the door.

Lucy sighed. She didn't know how to feel. She wasn't surprised Molly and Mason were engaged, and she would have been happy for them. But, she thought, would I have been happy for them on the very day I called off my wedding? Lucy couldn't answer that question. There was no doubt that Molly's moving in with Mason without the family knowing she was engaged caused a bit of a scandal. She knew both sets of grandparents had disapproved of Molly's actions. While she didn't think their parents approved exactly, they both liked Mason a lot, and kept their views to themselves. She had to agree with Dad. Molly was a wonderful big sister. And she liked Mason, too. Now that she knew, she could tell them, and they could get married soon, too. Just what she needed—a third wedding this summer for which she would not have a date. Lucy sighed again.

"Hello?"

Lucy jumped up so quickly she knocked over the hat rack, sending hats flying everywhere. "I'm so sorry!" Lucy tried to pick up the hats, but the young man who had spoken grabbed her hands and stopped her. 

"It's OK. I can get them later. I'm Brian, by the way."

"Hi Brian. I'm Lucy."

Brian sat down in the corner where Lucy had been and pulled her down next to him, ignoring the scattered hats. "So Lucy, what brings you to the cloakroom?"

Lucy stared into Brian's warm brown eyes, and while leaving out the details, she told him the truth. Since the Ball was being held in a Muggle hotel, she thought Brian might be a Muggle so she needed to be careful with what she said.

"How could someone ever cheat on a fiancé as beautiful as you? Your ex must be a blind idiot."

"That's probably the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." Lucy moved her face a bit closer to Brian's.

"You need to meet some nicer people." And Brian kissed her. Lucy kissed him back.

~*~

When Lucy was at the door of the ballroom, Molly grabbed her arm. "Where have you been?! We've been looking all over for you!"

"It's not time to leave, is it?"

"No. Mum and I were worried you might be upset about Rose's engagement."

"I'm not upset at all! I went to the loo and then decided I wanted to walk around a bit, and I . . . met the cloakroom attendant, and we started talking . . ." Lucy lowered her voice, "and we've been snogging."

"Good!" Molly hugged Lucy. "I'm glad you're finally moving on. Are you going to see him again?"

"Yes. We've exchanged numbers."

"That's great!" 

Lucy had to agree. She had finally kissed someone other than Gareth, and she liked Brian. 

~*~

"This has to be the worst dress ever," Lucy moaned to Molly.

"The style is pretty. At least there isn't a huge bow on the bum."

"It's orange with purple polka dots!"

"I know," Molly laughed. "Roxie just wanted to do something for Uncle George."

"She could have made it purple with orange polka dots. Then it wouldn't have clashed so badly with our hair. No hope of finding a boyfriend in this dress." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you here with Brian?"

"Brian and I are just friends. We had fun snogging that first time, but when we tried it again, it was really . . . I don't know, weird. We have such a good time together, we've continued going out as friends. Today we're going to be each other's 'wing-person' since weddings can be a good place to meet people."

Molly laughed. "Good luck with that. 

Lucy laughed, too. "I'll need it, especially in this dress."

~*~

"What is with the weird colors of bridesmaid dresses?" Lucy whispered to Molly.

"OK, _Roxie_ had weird colors. Yellow is not a weird color. It just doesn't look good on us."

"True, but neither Brian nor I managed to meet someone at Roxie's wedding, even though we had a great time, and yet another dress I don't look good in isn't going to help today."

"Where's . . ."

"I couldn't bring him! It's a Wizarding wedding, and James and his groomsmen all have on dress robes. It'd be a little hard to explain."

"True. I'm sorry. I keep forgetting Brian's a Muggle. I forgot to tell you. I've been talking to Grandma, and we might be able to dye the dresses a different color after the wedding."

"That's a good idea! Then I could wear it to Brian's cousin's wedding next weekend. I do like the style."

"I promise I'll let you pick out my bridesmaids' dresses."

"Good. Why don't you just use mine? You helped me pick them, and I could wear the one that would have been yours. We're close enough to the same size."

"Don't you want to save them to use for your own wedding someday?"

"Not really? And besides, if I let you use my bridesmaids dresses, maybe it will work like some sort of magical talisman and I'll have a reason to _need_ bridesmaids dresses." Lucy winked.

"OK. It's a deal."

~*~

Once again, Percy, Audrey, Molly, Mason, and Lucy stepped out of the International Portkey Office in Athens, but this time only Agata, Theo, and Darrius were there to meet them and they all greeted each other like old friends. Molly had decided that since she didn't mind where her wedding took place, and that the church Mason had attended while growing up was important to him and his family, they would get married in Greece. Lucy and her family had arrived rather early for her family to spend some more time with Mason's family. 

After hugs and greetings were exchanged all around, Agata announced, "We will all eat lunch. Theo and I have found a lovely café in Athens, and then we have plans for everyone." 

Lucy thought Agata might have been looking at her, but she knew she was probably imagining things. Agata was just extremely friendly. 

They had a wonderful lunch and heard about Agata's plans. She and Theo were taking Lucy and Molly's parents to a museum, which all of them would enjoy. Molly and Mason would have time alone to explore the city, and Darrius had been brought along to entertain Lucy so she wouldn't be dragged with her parents or sister. 

Lucy was not thrilled with having specific plans made to prevent her being a third, or fifth, wheel. She could easily have stayed in England, gone to work for a couple more days, and come to Greece with the rest of the Weasleys. Lucy was already aware that she was the only one of her cousins who would not have a date for the wedding. She couldn't bring Brian by portkey, but even if she could, he had met someone at his cousin's wedding, so there went the idea of Brian being her wing-person. Lucy liked Darrius when they met the previous year, and they had become instant friends, even exchanging a few owls. Of course, a year ago, she had been engaged, and more-than-friendship was not an option. Now, however, she was definitely not engaged.

After their other family members had left them alone, Darrius said, "Lucy, I do not want you to get the wrong impression about why I am here."

"It's OK that you came to keep me out of the way of Molly and Mason and my parents," Lucy forced a laugh. "I appreciate that Agata didn't want me to be the leftover."

"That's exactly what I mean. You already have the wrong idea. I . . ." Darrius actually blushed. Lucy thought it made him even more attractive if that were possible. "I badgered Mason until he promised to arrange things so I could be here with you. I liked you immediately, but you were engaged, so I knew there was no possibility of anything other than friendship, but now . . ." Darrius rubbed a hand through his hair. "I do not want to be presumptuous . . . You may still be grieving the loss of your engagement . . . but I wonder if there's a possibility . . ." Darrius waved a hand between them. ". . . for us."

"I'd say there's a definite possibility for us." Lucy stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can show your appreciation for the author in a comment here or on [livejournal](http://hp-nextgen-fest.livejournal.com/90205.html).


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